I went running this morning.
It was another slow run.
I watched wistfully as other runners blazed past me.
The run is called the “Starbucks 5 @ 5”. The idea is that you come out to run five miles and then, after about an hour, you are done.
I ran three.
I chose to run three miles because there was another girl who only wanted to run three miles and if I didn’t run with her then both she and I would be by ourselves. It was 5:00 a.m. and still dark outside. Not good to run alone.
So I stuck with her.
For a while, I lamented the fact that even if I wanted to run with the five-milers and be apart of the group, I wouldn’t have been able to.
I found myself dissatisfied, frustrated, and discontent.
I know you may be thinking… “Chrystal! Get it together! You were outside running when most of the people you know were in the bed asleep!”
Yea… but I was discontent remember? It’s funny how the encouragement of others doesn’t help unless you are able to receive it 🙂
The only thing that enabled me to get my act together this morning was to stop looking at the run that my group members were having, and to enjoy the one I was having.
I enjoyed my music. I enjoyed talking to God. I enjoyed talking to the new acquaintance that I’d made and who had become my running partner for the morning.
I stopped letting where other people were in their run determine how I felt about my own.
Have you been living unsatisfied?
How have been ungrateful?
Are you looking at people who are busy living their lives and unintentionally leading you to a place of discontent?
How can you enjoy the life that you have and maintain a positive attitude about your “run”?
Let’s pray about that.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
It’s a beautiful thing to see women praying for each other.
So here we go…
As always, feel free to pray about A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G…
But if you are helped by having a topic to focus on for prayer…
Content.
Again… feel free to pray about anything that concerns you. But if the topic of “content” resonates with you, pray in that direction.
So how exactly does this work do you ask? Keep scrolling for the details…
and now for the FUN!…
Our winner from last time is Jenell! (I’ll be sending you an email soon).
Your comment/prayer will enter you to win a Kingdom Woman T-Shirt!
As usual, I’ll select a winner at random. Simply leave your comment and/or prayer anytime between Friday and Sunday at midnight. I’ll announce the winner on next week!
So excited about prayer this weekend!
Help spread the word!
If you are new to our prayer on Fridays or need a little refresher here are the details…
1) Post YOUR prayer.
First, scroll to the end of the post to find the section for comments. Keep scrolling to the end of the comments to find the empty box where you can leave your prayer request. Click “Post Comment”.
2) Pray for someone else.
Then, look above you in the comment thread for the person who posted just before of you. Hit “reply” and pray for them. That way we make sure that everyone gets covered!
Please don’t feel insecure about your ability to pray for another sister or feel that her request is above your spiritual “pay grade.” Just pray with your heart. God hears. He works with the words that we have and then He takes care of the rest.
3) Post your pic!
Make sure we can “see” you! Go to Gravatar.com so that others can see your face in the comments! (It’s easy! Just click on the green button labeled “Get your gravatar today” )
4) Pray more
Once you have left your prayer request and prayed for the person above you, if you have a few minutes feel free to reply and pray for any other comment/prayer you see in the thread.
Thank you for this post! I admit I do struggle with being discontent. A lot of my friends graduated from college this past May. I was scheduled to graduate in May as well but I have to stay an extra year because I switched my major. It seems as if they’re finding their dream jobs and I’m the one that’s always trying to “catch up”. I’ve also struggled with my singleness. It seems as though everywhere you look someone is either getting engaged, married or having a baby. I’ve laid all of these concerns before The Lord but there are some days that I ask Him “when is going to be my time?” Please pray for me thanks!
Dear Heavenly Father,
I lift up Alicia to You this morning. Lord, the spirit of comparison is not of You for it distracts us from seeing You at work in our lives. I pray that You will give Alicia patience and joy as she continues to pursue her education. I ask that You remove any habits or persons in her life that triggers the discontent in her heart. Comfort her, Lord, draw her near and speak life into her soul. Your timing is perfect and we trust you with our lives, careers & futures…amen!
Father God help me to be content with the content of my life; to find the fullness of the life You have provided me and guide me through. Thank you for Your peace that passes all understanding.
Amen
If I am doing this correctly, then it appears I am the first prayer post. I start my thanking God for this opportunity. Thanking Him for Chrystal’s heart. I pray that every lady after me posting a prayer will be filled with peace, know the will of God for their life and live a life pleasing to Him. My husband leaves for Haiti in the morning August 2nd, traveling with several young men in partnership with Samaritans Feet. They will visit schools, orphanages, villages, and churches to distribute more than 1000 pairs of new shoes, wash feet, and share HOPE with everyone they encounter. They will also provide spiritual and physical food to the needy in cooperation with Feed the Hunger Foundation. Please pray that they will have safe travel, be divinely protected from all sickness/disease and that they will change lives as God receives the glory. My husband will not be with me as I celebrate my birthday on Monday and this will be the first time ever we have been apart on this day. Pray my strength as I know I will miss him dearly.
Lord,
I lift Janice to You. Strengthen her and love on her a little harder as her husband travels to Haiti. Grant him traveling mercies & shine Your light through him as he impacts the lives you set forth before him on this trip. Lord, Janice’s birthday is coming. I pray that it will be a birthday to remember filled with love, peace, joy & celebration. She’s already missing her husband, so I pray that You will step in as her spiritual husband in a mighty way. Place it on her heart to spend time with you & celebrate her birthday in Your presence. We thank You in advance for allowing her to live yet another year. We love You, Lord…amen!
Wow, I read this right in the midst of me convincing myself that I wasn’t content with where God has me right now. It’s absolutely amazing how He uses various avenues to check our spirits. I had an uneasy reality check today about me not being in school right now. I was anticipating attending my sorority undergraduate conference but I’m unable to attend because I’m not in school. Fall semester is rapidly approaching & I don’t want to get down on myself when I see others able to pursue their education paths. My prayer request is that I remain content & bless the Lord with a cheerful heart as I journey through the detour of my destiny. God is faithful and He deserves my praise through it all.
Lord I lift up Shanta to you. I pray that above all things that she will hear your voice & be reassured of the plans that you have for her. I pray that you will give her peace thru this period, joy that is full of your glory and contentment. Lord I pray that you will be her provider & deliverer so that everything will fall into place once this detour ends. I ask all these things in Jesus name. Amen.
Amen…thank you!
I needed this word TODAY, it drove me to my knees & into prayer & praise:) I am thankful for my job, but I am not content. I struggle with feeling unchallenged In my current position and overlooked for promotions. Please pray for me.
In the name of Jesus, I lift up Christina to you in this area of discontent that she is experiencing at her job. Cover her Lord and remind her that not only are you aware of her feelings, but that you are always in control and if she continues to trust in you, you and and you alone can turn her situation all around. Because we know that all things work together for good to those that love God….Amen.
Riaka thank you for your prayer, I wasn’t able to view this the week of, but you are the 3rd person to share that same verse with me that week! 🙂
I have a six mile run tomorrow morning and I can totally relate to everything you have spoken about Chrystal. I will definitely praying and talking to GOD my whole run because I definitely am feeling a sense of unfullfillment. i plan to enjoy my run, my surroundings, the fact that I am healthy enough to run & that I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me!
Thank you so much for this message! I, too, have been dealing with discontent in just recently coming home on maternity leave. While I am so excited that my husband and I can welcome our third child (due any day now) I continue to feel as if I am not ready and unsure of what is time come. All the “other” moms I see appear to have it all together and I am all over the place…literally. I need prayer in this area.
Father,
I lift Riaka up to You. We thank You for the third bundle of joy that she & her husband will be welcoming into the family. Lord, nothing happens in our lives without Your knowing & without Your permission. Let Riaka find joy in that! You are sovereign and provision is always abundant as we journey through this life as your children. Speak to Riaka’s heart, Jesus, and reassure her that You know the plans You have for her. I pray that during this maternity leave she will harbor at Your feet and in Your presence more than ever, that she will delight in Your ways, that she will speak to You her hearts concern, and that You will reveal to her heart the root of her discontentment during this joyous season of maternity. We thank You in advance for a beautiful, healthy baby & a safe delivery….Amen!
Thank you very much for this topic Chrystal. I am in a place of discontent about a few things in my life. I am not content with where we live it is a two bedroom apartment and we have two children. Most mornings I get up and instead of praying I grumble and complain about where we live and I think my husband has failed us because we don’t live in a house with a garden for the children to play in.
I am also dissatisfied about my relationship with my husband as we do not spend any time together alone or go out on dates together. I am living a life of discontent and not enjoying the good things in my life.
Please pray for me to surrender these things to God and enjoy the life and family he has blessed me with. Thanks
Well the Lords is super amazing and I am so humble always by His graciousness. I listened Thursday to one of Chrystal’s podcast which by the way I have taken to heart Bobby’s statement “you eat what you crave” and I signed up for a bunch of stuff. Anyway this morning when I got up actually for some quiet time with the Lord in His Word, I wound on my computer and checking my emails. I noticed this email from Chrystal. I read her post and I read all of the other ladies’ post. I am grateful for all you and for your willingness to share and declare your insufficiency and your need for our all sufficient God. It is always good to know we are not in this struggle alone. He always bring the things we need into our lives right when we need them. Thanks Chrystal for being such a willing and committed vessel. God knows that I need to be reminded always that my sufficiency has to be found in Him if I am going to have the contentment that you reminded me this morning is great gain for the godly.
Please pray that I remember that God’s plans for my kids will not be thwarted, Pray that He helps me to trust that He is the supplier of all their needs. Pray that He will continue to keep me free of anxiety when I think of the cost of college or needed house repairs as we continue to trust Him to provide for all our needs.
I pray for Sophia and her husband as well as me my husband that God will continue knitting our hearts together as we continue to grow in His grace. Kindle a fire for you in us that is so consuming that our marriages are engulfed in a passion and a love that is supernatural and then use us to point others to you so that you are glorified. Enable Sophia to trust that you know what you are doing and cause her to intentionally fix her eyes on you every moment of the day as you lead her from discontent to godly contentment. You have entrusted us with a faith now energize us with a fullness of grace that we may walk in it.
Father God thank you for Chrystal and for each lady who has commented. Give us your peace for where we are right now, let us be content with where we are and willing to move forward on the path and time schedule You have for us.
In Jesus name amen
Dear Father God, I bring Sophia before you. Her prayer request really touched my heart. I pray that she feels your spirit right now and that she knows that you want what is best for her. And that you wouldn’t give her more then she could bare. I pray that you encourage her heart about where she lives and see the good in it. Help her to realizes that she is blessed and that God has her in that two bedroom for a reason. There is always a lesson in our struggles. I pray for her relationship with her husband. And you feel her heart with contentment so that she can encourage him and not discourage. To tell him how great he is for the job he has done this far and to spur him on towards love and good deeds. Help them both to treat each other with love and respect and to value each other. To plan dates so that they can connect. I pray that Sophia can let go of trying to control and surrender to you heavenly father. Trust and believe that you are working things out for her good. This is the life you have chosen for her. Help her to appreciate and enjoy life to the full. Knowing that you have her back and her best interest in mine. God Bless her right now, in Jesus Name I Pray. Amen!
Thank you so much for the Topic of Contentment. I just moved from one state to another. It’s been a little difficult to adjust. I’m out of my comfort zone. It causes me to discontented. My prayer request would be that I will relax and enjoy this journey in my life and appreciate where God has me for now.
Today I am pondering how wonderful the Lord is to me. Feeling thankful for life, salvation and others.
Father God, You are wonderful. You surprise us each day with the consistency of Your care and grace. We thank You. Thank you for Yvette who has voiced her need for You. She is in an unfamiliar place. The beauty of it is that You are very familiar with her needs. You know what they are, both the spoken and the unspoken ones. Father, speak to her heart about that. Let her know, through Your Word, how much You are there for her. Send friends and maybe even mentors who will help her to become adjusted to her new surroundings. You desire for us to be comforted. You are near to those who need comfort. Let this be a time for Yvette to awaken to Your presence more than ever in her life. Thank You for being so big and yet caring for us, who are so small. Surprise Yvette in some way to let her know how much You love her. It is easy to forget when in a new place. Please remind her. She is not alone. She is very much on Your mind. And You are very much at work in and for her. We love You Lord. Thank You for your goodness to us. Thank You for this prayer time together, in Jesus Name I Pray. Amen!
Amen and Amen!!!
Thank you so much for your prayers Katheryne.
Blessings!!!
I am almost finished reading Kingdom Woman and can not put it down. It has made me laugh, cry, think and talked directly to me as I hear God’s voice jumping off every single page. I am at a crossroad as I learn to surrender all, pursue God’s calling on my life and homeschool when it makes no sense to do it…not now, how? why? are you sure God? This is where I will say Lord, thank you for your gifts, your voice and for doing so much in and through Chrystal Evans Hurst and her family. Bless all women around the world who are in the midst of transition and help us all to be instruments to ourselves all those who we encounter and we love YOU for who and what YOU are. In Jesus Name. Amen. I may be late for this contest, and I do not know what I’m doing most days, but I do know Jesus and thankfully HE ALWAYS KNOWS what HE’S doing, so I don’t need to. Phew! …..but I am so thankful for this opportunity.
Sarah, I am praying for you today. My prayer is that while you may not be able to see a long way down this path, you see the next step, and the next and the next. As you pour yourself into your babies, know that this time is precious. So few realize that the years with your children will slip by faster than you could imagine. In taking the time to homeschool, I pray that you will find your “calling” and contentment. This is a season. A season of planting and watering and weeding. I pray that you will catch glimpses of the coming harvest and realize that what you do is NOT in vain. Prayers for fellow homeschoolers and moms to encourage you and that you will be able to encourage others, even those who are not able to homeschool. Help them to trust that the path they are walking, if they are seeking God, is the best for them and for their family. I’ve heard that in giving birth, transition is the hardest. It is the point in which the mom decides this is too hard, I want to go home, the baby can just stay inside forever….but it is the moment just before you give birth to your miracle baby. During times that are difficult I pray that you will know that you are almost there….your miracle is on its way.
GOD, thank YOU for salvation and for loving us before we loved ourselves!!! YOU are holy and thanks for setting us apart and supplying all of our need(s) according to your riches in glory. Heal, deliver and set the captives free in JESUS name, Amen!
As I rush off to another day of teaching middle schoolers, I simply ask for help finding contentment in my calling. Its tough at times. I thought I’d be doing something different by now (in ministry) and that our finances would be more secure, and that my own children would – well, that things would be better. Help me to realize that I am doing something of value for God, that He will provide for all our needs, and that my own children will rise up and call me blessed and will serve Him all the days of their lives, walking the path He has chosen for them.
Donna, I am in agreement with you for contentment. God, thank You for giving Donna opportunities to minister daily — just as she just ministered to her sister Sarah above, and just as she ministers in Your classroom. I celebrate that You are stirring up eagerness within her to explore Your plan for her life. Reveal to her and help her to embrace every seemingly small moment that is actually Kingdom large.
When money seems lean, uncertain, complicated to acquire/manage, reveal to her also the truth: it’s ALL Your economy. Your storehouses are huge, and You already have her supply (Philippians 4:19). And You delight in blessing Donna; You enthusiastically welcome the hands that stretch to You — thank You, God!
Thank You for blessing Donna’s children, and please renew her to remember that You bless the children of the righteous (Proverbs 20:7, Psalm 37:25, Psalm 112:1-3) In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Lord, thank you for Donna and the opportunities you give her each day to be a source of encouragement and love to the middle schoolers she encounters each day. Thank you for her ministry and cause it to grow as you see fit. Thank you for her heart for her own children and loving them right where they are as they walk their journey with you beside them. Reassure her that nothing gets by you and that you love them and have the best for them. Thank you for her income and I pray you would maximize it. If your will is for Donna to work somewhere else, open those doors and illuminate her path. You are good, God. You are loving and your ways are perfect. We give you our ungrateful, fearful, selfish attitudes and ask you to cleanse us and make us whole. Fill us overflowing! Thank you in advance with what you’re going to do with my daughter that just left for college, for my 2 high schoolers at home, my son that lives with his girlfriend in another city, my job opportunity to teach closer to home, our medical debt, our student loan debt, and my husbands salary. You have never failed us.
Lord I thank you for Susan. It’s been a few years since she prayed for her children, her job, her debt and her family’s income. I pray that as she continues to journey through life, she will remember the prayers that she prayed and offer up gratitude for the answers received. I pray that you will continue to answer her prayers, even the ones yet unsaid. I pray that you will reveal yourself to her more and more each day, especially on the days when it it toughest. I pray that you would send encouragement for her in the everyday – at the grovcery store, through her children and extended family, in the smile of a neighbour or the arms of a friend. I pray that for as long as there is life in her body, that you breathe strength and peace and comfort to her, and give her your sacred rest in Jesus’s name. Amen.
Lord I thank you for this forum and for archives. I know it’s been a while since it’s been here, but you know that perhaps I could not have really received and absorbed the messages in her blog and podcasts until now. I am grateful that Chrystal has shared with us (and conitnues to share) as it has been food to me soul. Lord I pray simply to hear you. I hunger for you presence daily and know that that is where my peace, and restoration, and refreshing comes from. I pray that all the discontent with where I am today will become fuel to chase after you with the same ebergy … and then some. I pray that will not just find joy but really enjoy the season that I am in without wishing and whining about where others are or where I should be or could be or wanted to be.
I refuse to move away from your throne room until you bless me. If you can do it for Jacob/Israel, you can do it for me!!
Lord, thank you for listening. I know you hear me, even the words that have not yet been said.